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Jeff Legwold
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and the Denver Broncos reached agreement Thursday on a four-year, $106 million extension that includes $70 million guaranteed, Athletes First announced.
The deal can be worth up to $120 million if Bonitto reaches incentives in the contract negotiated by agent Tory Dandy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal will run through the 2029 season and makes Bonitto the highest-paid non-quarterback in Broncos franchise history.
Nik Bonitto signs a 4-year, $106M extension with the @Broncos making him the highest-paid defensive player in Broncos history ‼️🐴
Deal negotiated by @ToryDandy of Athletes First. pic.twitter.com/vr7mfZXajy
— Athletes First (@AthletesFirst) September 4, 2025
Turns out Bonitto is just as good at predictions as he is at chasing down quarterbacks. Bonitto, who was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next March, said less than three weeks ago that he expected a new deal to get done.
Bonitto’s deal essentially completes the offseason trifecta for the Broncos, who have signed wide receiver Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million), defensive lineman Zach Allen (four years, $102 million) and now Bonitto to long-term extensions since training camp opened.
The Broncos, including general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton, and Bonitto have consistently expressed optimism that a deal would get done for their second-round pick of the 2022 draft (64th overall).
Bonitto, 25, has steadily moved himself into the conversation regarding the NFL’s most impactful edge players. He was a second-team All-Pro last season and earned his first Pro Bowl selection while leading the Broncos with 13.5 sacks, part of Denver’s league-leading 63.
He also finished with career bests in tackles (48) and quarterback hits (24) while scoring touchdowns on an interception return and a fumble return. Denver’s coaches also said Bonitto played the run better than ever last season.
It’s the continuation of a career arc that has seen him develop from a 1.5-sack season as a rookie, when he played 357 snaps, to the high-end disrupter who made the most of his 708 snaps in 2024.
“I felt like I made it almost until the end of season last year, and then I started to see more chips, a few more double-teams,” Bonitto said as the preseason drew to a close. “I sort of expect people to take that approach right away this year. Which is good, look at our defense, more attention anywhere is less attention somewhere else … we just all will make plays.”
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has called Bonitto “a special player” in the pass rush who is still ascending.
Bonitto had a bone spur removed from his foot during training camp, so he did not play in the Broncos’ last two preseason games. He did show all of what he has to offer in a 12-play stint in the preseason opener, however. In a three-play span against the San Francisco 49ers — 88 seconds of game time — Bonitto had a sack, a near sack that forced 49ers quarterback Mac Jones to step up into a sack by John Franklin-Myers, and a heated pursuit that resulted in Jones throwing the ball away to avoid a 25-yard loss.
Bonitto said in recent weeks that he had arrived for the Broncos’ offseason program in April about eight pounds heavier than last season because he wanted to test how he felt in his movements in drills. He liked what he saw and how he moved, and he said he arrived at training camp at around 248 pounds.
“I tried it in the spring when we worked because I wanted to see how it felt,” Bonitto said. “I was still quick, so I’ve kept it there throughout camp so far. That and I’ve looked at the film, see how guys around the league deal with all of the chips and double-teams. I know it’s coming.”
